Licence to Kill
by Neo the Magic Swordsman
Summary: An action story starring Pietro Maximoff and including the pairings of Remy/Rogue, Pietro/Kitty and Scott/Jean.
1. The Doorman

Greetings Comrades! Welcome to my latest fanfic, dedicated to Silvershadowcat and Starian Princess. This is an action/romance story that will include Rogue/Remy, Pietro/Kitty and Scott/Jean. It is also an Alternate Universe fic, so forget everything you currently know about the X-Men Evolution characters, because I have changed them all in this story. One last thing, no-one has their mutant powers in this fic, they are all completely normal humans. Well maybe not so normal…  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men Evolution (sadly) and I am making no money from this fic. So please don't sue me.  
  
**

Licence to Kill

**  
  
Even at six a.m., London was awake and busy. Cars, buses and taxis all vied for positions on the road, clogging the air with their petrol fumes. Pedestrians hurried both ways along the pavements; smartly dressed businessmen hurrying to corporate meetings; casually dressed college students returning from all night drinking bouts and even the occasional tourist.  
All of this went unnoticed to the two people sleeping in an apartment above The King's Road. They lay peacefully in each other's arms, one a longhaired brunette, the other a young man with short silver hair. Despite the fact that their window was open with a slight breeze ruffling the curtains and allowing the morning noise in, neither person stirred.  
Suddenly a shrill beeping noise split the air, shattering the peace of the apartment. At the sound the man's eyes snapped open and he sat up, simultaneously rubbing his eyes and groping around the table next to the bed. He quickly found the source of the noise and picked up a small black pager. It read only one word, 'Quicksilver'. He groaned switched off the pager, got up and stumbled into the bathroom, splashing some water on his face and cleaning his teeth. As he returned to the bedroom and began dressing the woman moaned softly and rolled over. Expecting to find the warmth of her companion her eyes opened and she looked around. Seeing him adjusting his jacket she sighed. "I thought you said you were on your vacation?"  
He turned to face her. "I thought so too, but they've called me in."  
"So ignore them. Come on, you deserve a break after what you did two months ago in Turkey." "If they've called me in it must be serious. I had word from Xavier himself that he wouldn't call me unless it was really serious. They need me there."  
The woman sat up on her knees. "I need you here," she said.  
The man walked over to her and kissed her on the lips. "I'm sorry Kitty," was all he said before he turned and walked away.   
"Pietro!" Kitty called after him and he stopped. "It can't keep going on like this. I need a man I know I can trust. You need to choose, me or them?"  
The man bowed his head and continued on his way. The woman sighed dejectedly, fighting back tears as she watched him disappear around the corner of the corridor.  
The man took the elevator down to the ground floor and turned left down the street. To any passers by the man looked like an average businessman on his way to some office. This couldn't have been further from the truth. Pietro Maximoff was different from every single person walking past him as he made his way along The King's Road.  
He stopped outside a tall, old looking building, pushed the door open and entered. A faded brass plaque next to the door read 'Rogers and Smith's Building Society'. The entrance foyer was small and dingy, the floor tiles were cracked and one of the lights flickered on and off. Pietro made his way to a desk at the end of the foyer. A tall man who had been engaged in sketching something until he heard Pietro enter manned the desk. He wore a black suit and a nametag that read 'Scott Summers' in black lettering. However, when you got closer you could see that he was no ordinary desk clerk. Clearly visible beneath his shirt were rippling muscles and the dark sunglasses on his face merely added to the aura of danger that surrounded him.  
"I'm here to see Xavier. I just got the call so I don't know the code." Pietro glanced at Scott's sketch, while Scott checked a list in front of him and nodded.   
"He's expecting you. Sixth floor. Hey, I thought this was meant to be your vacation," Scott said as Pietro headed for the elevator behind him.  
"So did I Cyclops, so did I." Scott had acquired the nickname Cyclops when he first arrived because he constantly wore his black sunglasses. Someone had mentioned it as a passing comment and the name had stuck. At first Scott had disliked it, but now he preferred being called Cyclops rather than Scott.  
Pietro hit the five button on the keypad and waited as the elevator slowly climbed the floors. Eventually it came to a stop and the doors opened to reveal a long, white walled corridor. Pietro walked down the corridor until he reached the third door on the right, at which point he took a set of keys from his trouser pocket and unlocked the door. The room he entered was small and contained a desk, with a woman seated behind it, and a staircase directly opposite the door. The woman at the desk looked up when Pietro entered and smiled. The person Scott had been sketching, Jean Grey was two years younger than Pietro and very attractive. It was common knowledge to everyone that Scott was in love with her, except apparently to Jean, although in her defence he hadn't ever said anything to her. "Welcome back Pietro. I didn't expect to have the pleasure of seeing you for another month or so."  
Pietro walked into the room, took Jean's hand and kissed it, causing Jean to blush. "I didn't expect to be back so soon," he admitted looking around the small room. It was exactly how he remembered it, devoid of any life, except for Jean and her desk.  
"Xavier wants you to go right in by the way."  
"Did he mention anything to you about why he called me?"  
"Afraid not. Only thing I know is it's big."  
"Great," Pietro climbed the spiralling staircase until he came to a door with a small plaque that bore two words, Charles Xavier.  
  
That's all for now, but I will update soon. Please review and tell me what you think. Please. 


	2. The Briefing

Disclaimer: I still don't own X-Men Evolution (curses) and I am making no money from this fic. So please don't sue me.  
  
Author's Note: Thank you for the review ishandahalf. Unfortunately it's going to be a couple of chapters before Rogue and Remy are introduced, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
  


**Chapter II**

  
    Pietro pushed the door open and walked in. A man sat opposite him behind a desk, flipping through a file. At Pietro's entrance he looked up. Charles Xavier was in his early fifties, although he looked at least ten years older. He was completely bald, his face was heavily creased with lines and when you looked into his eyes you could tell he had seen more death and horror than one man deserved to see in a single lifetime.  
    Charles Xavier was the head of a secret organisation known as Excalibur. Excalibur had been created to work as a counter part to the British secret service, helping them deal with things that were too tough for them to deal with on their own. There were only a handful of Excalibur agents, but they were all very highly trained and their casualty rates were very low. Each Excalibur agent had a certain codename attached to them to disguise them in public. Pietro's codename was Quicksilver, because of his fast draw.  
    Charles Xavier had been a British secret service agent for twelve years until he was grievously injured and confined to a wheelchair. For a short time after that he served as a counsellor to the secret service, until he branched off to found Excalibur. He now directed the actions of Excalibur and was one of the most respected men in the country.  
    "You called me in Charles."  
    "Yes I did. Have a seat won't you?" Xavier gestured at the seat opposite his and Pietro accepted the offer. Xavier studied Pietro as he sat down. All Excalibur operatives were chosen for one reason, they were the best at what they did. Pietro had been a notorious assassin in central Europe, although the authorities did not know his identity, before joining Excalibur. Although the government had been less than thrilled having a suspected murderer as a member of their elite crime fighting force, Xavier had been insistent. Pietro had fitted in perfectly with Excalibur, becoming one of their top field agents. Xavier smiled inwardly. Pietro often reminded him of himself when he had been an operative for the secret service.  
    "Tell me Pietro, what do you know about a man known as the Wolverine?"  
    Pietro thought for a moment before answering. "A professional assassin, who's well known for his unique method of killing his victims." Pietro had seen the uncensored pictures of some of the Wolverine's victims, and he shuddered at the thought of what had been done to them.     "That's correct. Over the years he has worked for anyone there is to work for; Mafia, Triads, you name them and he's worked for them. He's never failed to assassinate his target either, but the strangest thing is, as you said, his method of assassination." Xavier pressed a button on his desk and a holographic image appeared, floating above his desk. The image was hazy and distorted and although Pietro could make out the outline of a man in it, he could barely see any features. "He is a master with all types of blades, and his trademark is three slashes across his victims face.  
    "This is the only known picture of the Wolverine," Xavier waved a hand at the blurry image. "He is an enigma, the only evidence of his existence is the continued assassinations that he carries out. His motivations are also a mystery; his killings have no pattern to them. Despite all of this, we still need to bring him to justice. The government and the secret service have turned his capture over to us, so I made the appropriate arrangements to apprehend him.  
    "The only way we can find him is to locate his next target. I assigned John Allerdyce to retrieve information on the Wolverine's next target."  
    Pietro vividly remembered John. He had been a year older than Pietro, with red hair and a non-descript face that wouldn't look out of place anywhere. That had made him an invaluable field agent, but he had a very volatile temper that had endangered his missions on several occasions before. John's codename, Pyro, had reflected his fiery temper.  
    "I received details on Monday at sixteen hundred hours of John's tragic death whilst in the field. Apparently his killer was none other than the Wolverine." Xavier looked down at the file on his desk allowing Pietro a short time to collect his thoughts.  
    Pietro couldn't believe that John was dead. He was no stranger to death himself, having killed many people as both an assassin and an Excalibur agent. But he'd never had anyone close to him die before. And whilst John and Pietro hadn't been that close, all the Excalibur operatives were close to each other. It was such a life-threatening profession that it was easier to make friends with people who understood the risk that they took.  
    "Pietro, we want you to go in and retrieve the data that John was trying to get."  
    Pietro looked up, startled. "If John's dead, then won't the Wolverine have destroyed the information?"  
    "No. The information is in fact an insider who works for the Wolverine's new employers."  
    "And he's still alive."  
    "Yes."  
    Pietro nodded. "Okay, where do I meet him?"  
    "The informant requested that you meet him at the Hellfire Club in Soho."  
    Pietro nodded as he rose from the chair, already mentally planning the mission. He stopped suddenly however, when he realised exactly what Xavier had said. "He requested me?"  
    Xavier nodded, steepling his fingers.  
    "When an operative is requested by name, isn't the standard procedure to negotiate more before sending them in. Nine times out of ten it's a trap."  
    "I know, and if it was anyone else but the Wolverine that is exactly what we would be doing, but we desperately need this information. In case it is a trap though, I've assigned you some backup."  
    Pietro frowned. No one had left an encounter with the Wolverine, unless it was in a bodybag and he'd had to walk into what was almost certainly a trap by the Wolverine. 'Great,' he thought. 'I could be waking up with Kitty, but once again I'm risking everything to stop a maniacal criminal. Just great.'  
    "Here are the relevant files," Xavier handed Pietro several dossiers. "The meeting time is at ten p.m. at table twenty-one. Good luck."  
  
    Dr. Hank McCoy was usually a calm and composed man, despite the fact that he was six foot five and weighed well over two hundred pounds, none of which was fat. However when the name Pietro Maximoff was mentioned, his blood ran cold. Hank viewed Pietro with a mix of fatherly worry, humour and utter despair.   
    Hank liked Pietro, but he constantly managed to destroy any gadget he gave him. Hank always provided Pietro with a demonstration of the proper way to operate his gadgets and he installed every possible safety feature he could into his equipment, yet Pietro still managed to destroy them.  
    Right now, Hank was staring at the remains of a safe-cracking device that had been disguised as a personal organiser. All that was left of it now was a fused bundle of wires and plastic that was almost impossible to determine as anything.  
    With a sigh Hank picked it up in a massive hand and dropped it into a nearby bin. He wished Pietro could bring back one gadget, just one, that was wholly intact.  
    At the sound of the elevator doors opening behind him Hank turned around. The morose expression on his face instantly disappeared, being replaced by a smile that stretched the width of his face. "Pietro! It's great to see you, buddy!"  
    Before Pietro could respond, Hank crossed the room in a single bound and grabbed him in a crushing bearhug. Pietro felt his bones being crushed, and suddenly realised that there was a lot of truth in Hank's nickname, Beast.  
    "It's great to see you too Hank, but could you put me down? I think my spine is about to snap here," Pietro managed to gasp.  
    "Oh sorry." Hank deposited Pietro back onto the floor and Pietro rubbed his aching bones. "So," Hank said, once Pietro had regained his breath. "What do you need?"  
    "Here you go." Pietro handed him a dossier Xavier had given him and Hank skimmed through it.  
    "Right. Standard retrieval mission, eh?" He moved off muttering to himself as he picked equipment from the shelves. In a few moments he returned, depositing equipment on the table in front of him. "Sig-Sauer P226." Hank handed Pietro the handgun. Pietro weighed the gun in his hand, then slid it into the holster under his shoulder, glad that he could feel the re-assuring weight of the gun by his side again.  
    "ScarletFire vest." Pietro took the bulletproof vest, glad that he would have some protection in the case of a trap. The ScarletFire vest had been invented by Hank, and was stronger than Kevlar, but it wouldn't stop a bullet at point blank range. Still, it was better than nothing.  
    "Iris camera and tooth mike." Hank handed Pietro what looked like a blue contact lens and a false tooth. Pietro picked the contact lens up and put it in his right eye. Hank flipped on a monitor and Pietro felt a slight buzzing in his eye. Suddenly the monitor suddenly showed Pietro's field of vision. "Working perfectly," Hank said, adjusting some controls. "Pan around a bit." Pietro turned his head and Hank nodded. "Good. Now the tooth mike."  
    Pietro fitted the mike over one of his back teeth, and Hank flipped a switch on by the monitor. "Now, say something."  
    "Okay Hank. Are you picking me up?" Hank nodded as Pietro's voice came out of the inbuilt speakers in the monitor.  
    "Everything's fully operational." Hank switched off the monitor as Pietro removed the iris cam and the tooth mike and placed them in a small, sterile box Hank provided him with.  
    "Thanks Hank. I'll see you when I get back."  
    "Sure thing. I'll have a cold beer waiting." Hank grinned, then became deadly serious. "Good luck Pietro. Be careful. Oh, and try and bring the equipment back in one piece," he added as an afterthought.  
    Pietro gave him a grin and a thumbs up as he took the lift up.  
  
    When Pietro reached the briefing room, three agents were already there. Pietro instantly recognised his good friend Lance Alvers. Lance was code-named Avalanche and he was one of the best demolition experts Excalibur had. The other two agents Pietro didn't immediately recognise.  
    When Lance saw Pietro he immediately walked over to him and clasped his hand. "Good to see you again Quicksilver."  
    "You too Lance. How's Tabitha?"  
    "Pregnant," Lance smirked slightly.  
    "Really! Wow, that's great."  
    "Yeah it is." Tabitha and Lance had met in America last year, and got married five months ago.   
    "So, you been briefed already?" Pietro asked, all business, as he Lance move to the large table in the centre of the room.  
    "Yeah." Lance pressed a button and a holographic map appeared on the table. The map depicted the interior of the Hellfire Club, down to small individual people wandering around. "This is table twenty-one." He pointed to a small table where two people were sitting. "You meet the contact here, get the information and walk out, no trouble. Theoretically speaking, of course," he smiled grimly. "I'll be positioned here." He pointed to a shady alcove right next to the main entrance. "Callisto here," Lance motioned at the taller of the two agents, "will be positioned at the bar here," he pointed at a spot. "And Iceman," the smaller agent nodded, "will be positioned by the corner here," he motioned to an alcove diagonally behind table twenty-one. "We'll all be tuned into your tooth mike, and I'm going to have a monitor on your iris cam. If anything goes wrong, then we'll provide covering fire whilst you get out of there."  
    Pietro nodded. "One thing guys, I don't know if Xavier told you, but there's a big chance that, the Wolverine will be there."  
    Lance nodded grimly. "We know."  



	3. The Hellfire Club

I'm sorry for the HUGE delay, but I've been juggling a million projects. If there is anyone still reading this, the updates should be more frequent from no on. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far and I hope you continue to enjoy Licence to Kill.  
  


**Chapter III**

  
  
    At ten minutes to ten a blue BMW pulled up outside the infamous Hellfire Club. Pietro got out of his car and, after offering up a prayer that Kitty never found out where he was tonight, walked up to the entrance to the club. Two large, hulking men stood flanking the door. Pietro handed a card to one of them who looked at a list in his hand. "Welcome to the Hellfire Club, Mister Maximoff," the man held the door open for Pietro who nodded his thanks and entered.  
    The smell of alcohol and strong perfume hit him as he entered. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sudden bright lights. There were about half a dozen chandeliers hanging from the ceiling above them, and a single dim light illuminated each booth along the wall. The booths were dim, and Pietro could only make out the silhouettes of the people sitting there.  
    The Hellfire Club was quite full but he could just make out Lance as he glanced left. The other three agents had arrived over an hour ago, and had been in position ever since then. He shouldered past people as he tried to make his way to table twenty-one. As he did a couple of heavily rouged thrust themselves towards him. The Hellfire Club was a notorious den of depravity, where the rich and powerful went to sate their blackest desires. But Pietro didn't have time for these distractions. It was already one minute to ten.  
    "Hello, handsome. Looking for a good time?" one of the girls asked.  
    "Maybe, later," he said brushing past her. That was when he caught a glimpse of table twenty-one and its occupant. The informant was a thin, hunched man, whose skin was an unhealthy greenish colour. His eyes were sunken into his head, and they darted from side to side constantly. 'Well I suppose I would be pretty paranoid if Wolverine was on my tail,' Pietro tried to push his way through to the table, but the girl had locked her arm through his.  
    "Buy a girl a drink?" she asked. He tried shaking the girl off, but she just clung on tighter.   
    "Alright," he said grudgingly, hoping that he could get away from this girl quickly and still make the rendezvous in time. As they made their way to the bar, a crowd of men gathered around a table where a young woman garbed like an Arabian harem girl slowly removed her veils. She had an interesting selection of tattoos and piercings, Pietro thought.  
    "I have a ring like that, through my belly button," the girl said. "I'll show it to you if you like… upstairs…"  
    "Let's get something to drink first," Pietro said. He glanced back at table twenty-one and saw the guy still sitting there, looking at his watch.  
    They made their way through to the bar. It was packed. Pietro was forced to elbow his way between two guys in business suits. He ordered two beers.  
    "I don't want a beer," the girl announced, "I want wine."  
    "Make that a red wine as well," Pietro told the bartender. Pietro turned and glanced at the girl. She was slightly shorter than he was and had shoulder-length black hair. Her eyes were green and Pietro could see a quick, malicious intelligence in them. Her smile was professional but pleasant. The hand working its way up his thigh was practised. "Do you know anything about that guy over there?" he asked, pointing at the occupant of table twenty-one, who was mopping his head with a very dirty handkerchief.  
    "What, Toad?"  
    "Yeah." He put his hand down on hers, and the creeping massage stopped.  
    "Oh yeah, he's a regular. But he's usually with someone else, that guy over there," she pointed at a booth on the opposite wall. Pietro could just make out the outline of an enormous figure. "They friends of yours?" the smile seemed fixed on her face, frozen almost.  
    "Not exactly." Pietro had a bad feeling about the meeting and he wondered if this girl might know something about their plans.  
    "What's the connection then?"  
    "I'm meeting that guy at table twenty-one."  
    "You want somebody hurt?" the hesitant way she said it made him think that she was going to say something other than hurt then thought better of it. "I'm surprised - you look like someone who could do that himself." Her fingers had started moving again. He immobilised her hand.  
    "You know anything else about them?"  
    "What's it worth?" An appraising glint appeared in her eye.  
    He showed her a fistful of notes. "Depends on what you tell me."  
    "I don't know that much. Wonda knows more."  
    "Wonda?"  
    "Yeah, she had a thing with them. That's her over there," the girl pointed at a woman who was standing by the opposite wall talking to someone that Pietro recognised as Iceman. The girl was quite short, with shoulder length black hair and a red stripe that ran from the top of her head down to her shoulders.   
    "With both of them?"  
    "It takes all sorts."  
    Pietro suddenly saw the man at table twenty-one get up and move off, towards the back of the club. He handed the girl a fistful of money then moved off through the crowd. He saw Lance and Callisto follow him at a distance. Toad moved quickly to where his friend sat, and Pietro was shocked at the size of the man when he walked into the light. He was about six feet tall and almost that wide. The two hurried up the stairs and Pietro followed them. They turned right at the end of the corridor and Pietro ran to the bend to see them disappear into a room. Lance and Callisto hurried up behind him and he told them what he had learned. "What do we do now?" Callisto asked.  
    "We follow those two and try and retrieve the information," Pietro said and Lance nodded in agreement. They moved to the door and listened, ears to the door. There was no sound from inside. Pietro tried the handle, but it was locked. Callisto moved forward, pulling a lock pick from pocket and after a couple of seconds work, the door was open. The trio of agents silently moved into the room, which was empty. There was a door on the other side that was slightly ajar, and through it they could hear voices. There was a high-pitched, whiny voice that had to belong to the man called Toad. Then they heard a low rumbling that could only be the huge man they had seen with him. The three crept closer until they could hear what was being said.  
    "Oh man, Raven's gonna kill us," Toad said.  
    "Why?" That was the huge man.  
    "Because idiot, we didn't kill that stupid agent that she said we was supposed to."  
    "But what about that red haired guy, John? He's dead."  
    "Yes, but he was working for us. The boss-lady said she wanted Pietro Maximoff dead." The three agents looked at each other. Suddenly there was a scream from behind them. The three turned to see Wonda standing in the doorway, looking horrified. Behind them they heard the door opening and they turned to come face-to-face with Toad and his friend.  
    "Hey, who are you?" the big man asked.  
    "Wait, that's Maximoff! Kill them!" Toad shouted, then ran behind the huge man. As the man huge man advanced men in dark blue, unmarked uniforms ran in from behind him. Pietro looked at Lance and Callisto, then nodded. Pietro charged the nearest uniformed man, whilst Lance and Callisto took on the huge man.  
    Pietro ducked a right hand from his opponent, then caught him in the gut with a kick, which doubled the man over. He grabbed the man and swung him headfirst into the wall, knocking him out. He turned around, just to get hit by a bone-jarring punch that caused little silver stars to flash in front of him. He barely dodged the next blow and before his opponent could finish him, he brought his foot crashing down onto his foe's instep. The man howled in pain and Pietro knocked him out with a blow to the temples.  
    He spared a look around and saw that Lance was struggling with the huge man, whilst Callisto had taken out one of the uniformed men, and was struggling with another. Out of the corner of his eye something silvery caught his attention. He turned to see a knife zip past his head and embed itself in the throat of another of the uniformed men. A man was standing in the doorway in a coat with a hood that covered his face. He killed the last of the uniformed men with two well-placed knives, and then threw something at Pietro, before running off.  
    Seeing all their men taken out, Toad and his friend turned and fled out of a door in the room behind them. Lance began to follow, but when he got to the door, it was locked. "Leave them," Callisto said. "By the time you get through that door, they'll have got away."  
    Lance turned away and noticed Pietro staring at something in his hands. "What's that Pietro?"  
    He showed them what the hooded man had thrown at him. It was a patch, the kind you usually found on the shoulders of army uniforms. But this bore an insignia none of them were familiar with. It was a large red E with a smaller red L in front of it on a dark blue background. Around the rim of the badge were the words 'Per Determinam ad Victoriam'.  
    "What does that mean?" Lance wondered aloud.  
    "'Through determination to success'," Pietro said absently.  
    "Do you recognise it?" Callisto asked.  
    "No. But I'm sure Excalibur will be able to identify it. Let's go." Pietro moved towards the doorway. "Lance grab Iceman. Callisto wait here for Excalibur to take these three away," he indicated the unconscious men, "I'll see you back at HQ."  
  
    "Well? Did you kill him?"  
    "N, no not exactly mistress."  
    "What do you mean 'not exactly'? I provided you with everything you needed. Where are the men I sent you?"  
    "Dead or captured mistress."  
    "I should have known not to entrust this to you imbeciles. I thought you were the best assassins in England?"  
    "He had help mistress. The Wolverine was there."  
    "Really? It is as he predicted. Get out of my sight you two. I must report this."  
    "At once mistress."  
  
There we go, Chapter Three finished. Chapter Four should be up soon hopefully. Any guesses as to the identity of the mysterious persons would be interesting. Keep up the reviewing. 


	4. Kidnapped!

**Chapter IV**

  
  
    The next day Kitty sat in her apartment absently flicking through a magazine. She hated it when Pietro had to suddenly rush out like this. His lifestyle was so hard on her; she never knew when he'd be back, or if he'd even come back. She wished that he would leave Excalibur and settle down with her, but she knew that this would never happen. He was too important to Excalibur.  
    She put the magazine down, got up and picked up her mobile. Shopping always cheered her up; she just needed someone to go with. Preferably another woman, so she could talk about Pietro to her. She dialled in a number and waited as it rung. "Come on," she ordered the phone, and suddenly a voice answered at the other end. "Hello, Amanda Sefton."  
    "Hey Amanda, it's Kitty here."  
    "Oh, hi! How are you darling?"  
    "Oh, I'm pretty good," Kitty lied. "Do you want to go shopping?"  
    "Sure. Just let me get some clothes on."  
    "Uh, 'Manda, it's one in the afternoon?"  
    "I know, but Kurt just wouldn't leave…"  
    "Kurt?" Kitty cut her friend off. "I thought it was Ray?"  
    "Oh, Ray was ages ago. No Kurt's this new German guy. He's some kind of diplomat who's working in London and let me tell you he is great in bed…"  
    "Okay Amanda, how about you tell me about that later. Meet you in ten?"  
    "Usual spot."  
    "Yeah."  
    "I'll be waiting for you."  
    Kitty put the phone down and pulled on her coat. Despite being summer, London was still cold and prone to rain and Kitty wasn't taking any chances. As she walked out of the apartment building and turned left she thought she saw someone duck back into the shadows of a door, but there was no one there when she looked again. Shrugging she carried on her way.  
    After walking for about ten minutes she was sure that someone was following her. She increased her pace and then suddenly ducked into a side alley. After several minutes no one had followed her in. Confident that she had gotten away safely she turned around. A huge man stood in front of her. As she was about to scream he clamped a massive hand over her mouth. She struggled ferociously until she suddenly felt the prick of a hypodermic needle in her arm and then the world slowly faded away into blackness.  
  
    Pietro had given the patch to Excalibur to analyse, and now was on his way to visit Kitty after a long debriefing session. Until any further clues as to the whereabouts of the Wolverine or those two would be assassins from the Hellfire Club, Pietro was on leave again.  
    He parked his BMW outside his apartment, locked it and then walked inside. He took the elevator up to his flat and then unlocked the room. "Hey, Kitty. I'm home." No answer. 'That's strange,' he thought as he searched through the flat. When he found no trace of his girlfriend, he grabbed the telephone and dialled her mobile number. The phone kept on ringing until a mechanical voice told him it was 'impossible to connect him at this time'.  
    Pietro flopped down on the bed. Doubtless Kitty was out with her friends, bemoaning Pietro's line of work, and she simply didn't have her phone switched on. As he lay on the bed, the experiences of the past day suddenly caught up with him and he was asleep within minutes.  
  
    Kitty woke up in darkness. She could see so little that when she opened her eyes she wasn't sure whether she was still asleep or not, but she knew she wasn't. For one thing she could feel the ropes that bound her hands biting into the skin of her wrists. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she noticed another person in the same room as her. "Where are we?" Kitty whispered.  
    "How the hell should ah know?" the other person answered in a distinctly deep south American accent, and sounded rather impatient. She turned to look at Kitty as she answered and Kitty caught sight of a woman's pale face and a white streak in her hair.     "I recognise you! You're that pop star, Rogue."  
    "Mah real name's Marie, Rogue's only mah stage name. And so what if ah am?" Rogue sounded even more impatient.  
    "Nothing," Kitty said defensively. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Kitty voiced another question. "Do you know who kidnapped us?"  
    "No. All ah know is, some big guy was waiting for me in mah dressin' room and he knocked me out with an injection. Then I woke up about ten minutes before you did."  
    Kitty nodded, then lapsed into silence. After a couple more minutes she was about to speak again, when a double door was thrown open. Incredibly bright light poured in, silhouetting two figures in the door. Attempting to block out the light with her hands, Kitty recognised one of them as the man that had kidnapped her. The two men approached her and Rogue and picked them up roughly, slinging the women over their shoulders like sacks of grain. Kitty struggled, but the man's grip was like a vice and her struggling was in vain. After a few minutes the men entered a room and dumped Rogue and Kitty in chairs.     "Where the hell am ah?" Rogue shouted as soon as she was put down.  
    "Welcome to my home, Madam Marie."  
    Kitty and Rogue both looked up as a cultured English voice spoke out from behind a desk opposite them. A man was standing there with his back to the women, hands clasped behind him.  
    "Who the hell are you?" Rogue spat.  
    "You Americans make such prolific use of swear words. I find that most annoying, don't you Miss Pryde."  
    "Shut up, you bastard!" Kitty loaded her voice with as much hatred as she could, earning a look of admiration from Rogue.  
    The man laughed and turned around. He was quite old; Kitty guessed he was in his early sixties, with short white hair and piercing blue eyes. He smiled pleasantly at Kitty. "Defiance is such a typical quality of young women now a days. One I find most amusing. But it will do you no good I'm afraid, Miss Pryde. You are completely at my mercy."  
    "What do you want with us?" Rogue asked.  
    The man smiled again. "What I want is very simple. A small trifle, really."  
    "What do you need me for?" Kitty put in.  
    "You my dear, are here for a very special purpose."  
  
    Pietro woke up instantly as the telephone started ringing. He grabbed it and picked up the handset. "Pietro Maximoff."  
    "Hi, is Kitty there?"  
    "No I haven't seen her today, um…  
    "Amanda."  
    "Amanda. Why?"  
    "Well she agreed to meet me at a café and she hasn't turned up yet, and that was, no, not now Kurt, I'm on the phone. Sorry. That was three hours ago."  
    Pietro frowned. "Well I got home about two and a half hours ago, and she hasn't been home yet or rung me."  
    "Okay, Kurt wait one minute, ohhhhhh!" Pietro heard Amanda emit an excited scream and then the phone line went dead. He sighed and then suddenly his pager started beeping. He grabbed it and looked in horror at the single word on the screen. 'Aquatic'. That was Excalibur's code word for a major crisis and that any agents paged must return immediately to headquarters. He grabbed his jacket and ran out to his BMW.  
  
    Pietro burst into the briefings room at Excalibur headquarters, breathing slightly hard after having run hard for several minutes. Already in the room were Xavier, Lance, Callisto and a man that Pietro didn't recognise. Xavier looked up as Pietro came in. "Ah, Pietro. This," he gestured at the man behind him, "is Remy LeBeau."  
    "The twenty year old millionaire?"  
    "The same," the man spoke in a drawling voice with a distinct American accent from the deep south.  
    "Remy's here because his fiancé, the pop star Rogue, has been kidnapped."  
    "So why do you need me?"  
    "Kitty's been kidnapped as well."  
    Pietro felt like someone had hit him in the stomach with a heavy object. He sunk into a chair and Lance clasped a friendly hand on his shoulder.  
    "The kidnappers have just sent a ransom demand. We have three days to reply."  
    "What do they want?" Callisto enquired.  
"Remy," Xavier moved back and the young American took his place.  
    "They want something I created. A piece of software that allows even the most intricate security system to be hacked within a couple of seconds."  
    "The Gambit Program?" Lance asked. Remy nodded.  
    "Why did they take Kitty?" Pietro pulled himself together enough to ask.  
    "We don't know." Xavier said.  
    "Well there's only one way to find out." Pietro stood up. "I'm going with Remy to the drop-off point for the ransom."  
    "Then what?" Callisto asked.  
    "I track whoever the bastards that kidnapped my girlfriend are back to their hideout and rescue Kitty."  
    "Pietro that's an admirable suggestion, but you need backup. You can't go it alone," Xavier's tone was soothing.  
    Pietro shook his head. "This is something I've got to do on my own."  
    "We won't interfere in your rescue of Kitty. We're just going to be there to make sure you get out okay."  
    "Fine," Pietro relented, sitting down again.  
    "Good." Xavier touched a control and a holographic map of the drop-off point appeared on the table. It was in an abandoned quay on the side of the River Thames. "Pietro and Remy will be here," Xavier indicated the centre of the quay. "Lance, you're going to be here," he indicated a fire escape that led out of a warehouse and provided a perfect view of the whole of the quay. "Callisto will fit a tracking device to the kidnapper's vehicle, which Pietro can use to follow them after the rendezvous. Understood." All the agents nodded. "Good."     Don't worry Pietro. Kitty will be safe, and you'll get her back in no time. Just wait and see." Lance said confidently. Pietro wasn't so sure.  
  
Again, sorry for the delay. I'll try and update a lot faster from now on. I hope you enjoyed chapter IV, and keep those reviews coming. 


	5. Dropoff Point

Chapter V  
  
Sorry about the delay again, but I have been stricken with writer's block. However, because you are such great reviewers, I'm updating twice today. Enjoy.  
  
Pietro stood in the centre of the quay shivering slightly in the early morning mist. Remy stood next to him, absent-mindedly twirling a playing card in his right hand. His other clutched a briefcase that contained the Gambit Program.  
Pietro checked his watch, and glanced to his left. He couldn't see Lance, but he knew his friend was somewhere in that direction. "They're late." Remy muttered.  
"I know." Pietro wasn't sure whether the remark was addressed to him or not, but it felt good to break the oppressive silence that hung over the quay. He had a bad feeling about this, but he couldn't back out now. Kitty needed his help.  
Suddenly a noise split the dead silence of the quay. It was the sound of a motor. 'Good,' thought Pietro. 'They should be here soon.' There was a dull thud to his right, as if someone had dropped something. Pietro turned his head, about to ask Lance, via his earpiece, if he had seen something, when a smoke grenade that had landed next to Remy went off. Pietro's eyes were suddenly filled with tears and he coughed as he tried to clear the smoke from his eyes and throat. Blinking, he flailed around, trying to find Remy.  
Remy was having no more luck than Pietro. Blinded and gagging on the smoke that billowed around them he kept an iron grip on his briefcase. He suddenly slammed his knee into something hard and cursed. That was when he heard someone behind him. He whirled around, thinking it was Pietro, and came face-to-face with a huge man he had never seen before. Remy lashed out with his fist but the larger man easily caught his punch and then threw his own punch that knocked Remy clean off his feet.  
Pietro heard the thud of a body hitting the floor somewhere off to his right and drew his Sig Sauer. He tried to head towards where he had heard the noise, but in the smoke he couldn't be sure that he was going in the right direction. He moved forward slowly and then came upon Remy's briefcase. That confirmed it. They'd got Remy.  
It was a sixth sense that made him turn around at that point to see the figure of a hulking giant behind him. Pietro snapped a shot off but in the smoke his aim was slightly off and he hit the man in the left shoulder. The man let out a bestial roar of pain and anger, and threw himself at Pietro. The two collided and rolled across the ground, Pietro's gun flying out of his hand and sliding across the quay. His assailant was a good hundred pounds heavier, and it was all muscle, so he easily overpowered Pietro. As his assailant pulled back his fist Pietro managed to lift his knee straight into the man's crotch. The man howled in pain and Pietro scrabbled up assuming a fighting stance. His opponent shook his head to clear away the pain, pulled out a small gun and fired. Pietro felt the nick of a hypodermic needle entering his skin and then the world began to go dark. The last thing he remembered was his attacked pulling him up by the scruff of his neck, a malicious smile on his face.  
  
Lance growled a curse as the smoke grenade detonated. "Callisto, what's the status of transportation?"  
"Negative." Callisto's voice sounded distant and tinny in his earpiece. "They didn't come by land."  
Lance cursed again. "They must have come by boat."  
"What's happening in there?"  
"They've detonated a smoke, I can't see anything. Get in here!"  
"Affirmative."  
Lance sprinted down the steps of the fire escape. This was not good at all. Not only had they failed to get a trace on the kidnappers, but it looked like Remy was about to get kidnapped as well. He pulled out his Sig Sauer and put on his infrared eyepiece. Even in the thick smoke he would be able to see people, although by the time he could tell if they were an enemy it wouldn't make much difference. He ran forwards, but he couldn't see anything. Annoyed, he turned back and suddenly spotted someone moving towards him. He levelled his gun at them and moved forward closely. Callisto suddenly emerged from the smoke and Lance cursed again. "Any sign of them?" he asked her.  
She shook her head. Suddenly the whine of an engine split the air. They had gotten away with Remy as well. Lance's shoulders slumped dejectedly. "Come on. Let's get back to HQ and report. Pietro, do you read me?" Nothing but the hiss of static answered Lance. He looked at Callisto, puzzled. She shrugged. "Pietro. Come in! Pietro!"  
  
A sleek black speedboat sped down the River Thames throwing up an impressive amount of spray. Standing on the prow a hulking figure held something in his palm. "Pietro! Come in! Come in!" The man grinned and closed his palm around the tiny earpiece, crushing it completely and dropping the remains overboard.  
  
A piercing whine of static filled Callisto and Lance's ear for several seconds, and then completely died away. "His earpiece has been destroyed," Callisto said. Lance nodded. "They took him as well."  
"But why?" Lance wondered aloud.  
"We better get back, Xavier's going to want to hear this," Callisto moved off. Lance nodded and hurried after her.  
  
Onboard the speedboat the hulking man had come aft to where Pietro and Remy were tied up. Remy was barely conscious and Pietro was totally out. "Hey, wake up!" the man grabbed Pietro and slapped his face hard.  
"Be careful Victor! The boss doesn't want the merchandise damaged." This came from the man at the wheel, much taller than his partner, but not as heavy.  
"Yeah, yeah I'm just having a little fun with him, Peter." He threw some cold water into Pietro's face, jerking him awake. As Pietro coughed, Victor grinned. "So glad you could join us," as he was talking he slipped a brass knuckle-duster onto his right hand. "Now it's time for a little payback for earlier." Victor slammed his fist into Pietro's jaw, causing him to sag back, a trickle of blood running from his lip. Victor repeated this tactic, hitting Pietro all over his upper body with his fists until the man at the helm, Peter, turned around.  
"Don't you listen to anything Victor!" he snapped. "The boss says don't damage them!"  
"Fine," Victor grumbled as he pulled his knuckle-duster off and went to sit at the prow. "Stupid Russian bastard, always ruins everything!" he muttered as he looked back at Pietro, who was a bleeding wreck. He grinned and turned to face forwards. 'Good', he thought. They were nearing their destination. Victor never had liked water travel, but it had been essential if the boss's plan was going to work. And it had worked perfectly, allowing him and Peter to grab both the American kid and that stupid secret agent that the boss was so interested in. 


	6. Revelations

I hope you enjoy Chapter VI as much as you have enjoyed all the other chapters:  
  


**Chapter VI**

  
  
    Remy glanced sideways at Pietro and almost gasped. Pietro's face was a bloody mess; he had a cut lip, bleeding nose, black eye and several large bruises. "You look terrible," he whispered across to Pietro.  
    The Excalibur agent managed a small grin. "I've had worse," he said with more confidence than he really felt. Truth be told, his whole body was aching and he was thankful that the other kidnapper had stopped Victor when he did, otherwise he might not have survived this long.  
    Remy suddenly noticed the speedboat slow and then turn into a large boathouse on the riverside. Pietro didn't see this through his bruised eyes, but he felt the boat slowing down.  
    Once inside Peter steered the boat to the dock and Victor came over to Pietro and lifted him out. Peter lifted Remy out and then followed him. They strode down several large passages until they came to a metal door with a guard posted in front of it. He took one look at Victor and opened the door for them. They stepped out into the sunlight and a tiny airstrip. A plane sat waiting, engines already on, and the two men ran over to it. They boarded it and threw their prisoners into two chairs. "Victor, go and help Irene up front," Peter ordered. Victor nodded sourly and disappeared. Peter sat opposite the prisoners and when the plane had taken off he pulled a sketchpad out of a bag next to him and began to draw.  
    Victor soon came back from the cockpit. "Irene says we should be there soon. We're making good time."  
    Peter nodded, concentrating on his drawing. Victor sneered at his companion's activity, sat down and opened a beer he got out of the small fridge at the front of the plane.  
    It took two more hours to reach their destination, by which time Pietro was mercifully unconscious again. Neither Victor nor Peter had said much all flight the first leering at pictures of scantily clad women, the latter intent upon his drawing. At some prearranged time Victor went into the cockpit again to assist with the landing. Upon landing Peter roughly pulled Remy up and marched him down the stairs out of the aircraft, Victor behind them with an unconscious Pietro slung over his shoulder.  
    As he was marched forward by Peter, Remy looked at his surroundings. They had landed inside a heavily fortified complex, it appeared to be an old châteaux and it was swarming with guards. Remy was led inside and then along a twisting maze of corridors until they reached a set of beautifully carved oak double doors. Peter pushed them open and shoved Remy inside. "Mr. LeBeau, won't you have a seat." Remy hadn't seen the man standing in the shadows of the corner until he spoke. The man turned and gestured to an elaborately carved wooden chair, which Remy sat down in. Victor dumped Pietro's unconscious form in the chair next to him.  
    "Ah, Piotr and Victor. As usual you have excelled yourselves." The man moved closer, then frowned. "I thought I told you to bring him back undamaged?" His tone was friendly, but had a steely undercurrent to it.  
    "Victor couldn't keep his hands off him," Piotr said, glaring at Victor who glared back at him.  
    "Well?" The man was looking expectantly at Victor.  
    "He deserved it, boss, he…"  
    "I decide what he deserves, not you Victor," the man had an almost friendly tone now. "Really, I expected a man of your experience to be able to control his anger. But apparently it seems I was wrong." He shook his head, his tone getting friendlier by the minute. Victor and Piotr glanced at each other. The boss was never friendly. "X23." Suddenly it all clicked. Piotr moved away from Victor, who had dropped into a fighting crouch, looking around him warily.  
    Remy was the first to see her uncoil from the tight crouch she had been in like some hideous insect. She made almost no noise as she dropped to the floor from the ceiling. Remy was horrified, yet fascinated by X23. She was short and wore a one-piece black form-fitting outfit that stretched from her head down to her feet. She was beautiful, but there was no doubt what her purpose was. Death.  
    The only warning Victor had was the quiet sound of metal being unsheathed as X23 pulled two daggers from her belt. Victor whirled around, throwing himself at the spot where he had heard the sound, but X23 was long gone. As he picked himself up and looked around X23 struck, leaping onto his back and one dagger into the back of his lungs and running the other across the front of his throat. Victor managed a gurgling surprised gasp as his lungs filled up with blood. X23 jumped off his back, pulling out her two knives and sheathing them, before turning to the man and bowing her head.  
    Piotr and Remy stared in horror at Victor's corpse, that occasionally spasmed, whilst the man laughed and applauded X23's efforts. "Well done my dear. Now, dispose of the waste."  
    X23 turned and was about to pick up Victor when he leapt up, hands reaching for X23's throat. X23 looked absolutely unperturbed as the dying man choked the life out of her. She suddenly punched both her hands into Victor's chest and with a massive effort ripped his heart out and held it up in front of him. Victor gasped and then collapsed. X23 dragged his corpse out, leaving the room in a stunned silence. "Piotr." The Russian straightened as the man said his name.  
    "Sir?"  
    "Leave us."  
    "At once." The Russian followed X23, glad to be out of the room, which was stained with Victor's blood.  
    One Piotr had departed the man turned to Remy. "I'm so glad you could join us Mr. LeBeau. It's an honour to meet the man who had made his first million at seventeen."  
    "Why did you kidnap me? Why not just take the Gambit Program?" Remy managed to summon more confidence than he felt, he felt thoroughly disgusted by the cold-blooded murder he had just witnessed.  
    "Oh, we did take the Gambit Program. But why do you think we took you as well Mr. LeBeau? Your associates will be willing to pay a substantial amount for your safe return."  
    Remy groaned, although inwardly he was ecstatic. This guy, whoever he was, didn't know about the failsafe Remy had installed in the Gambit Program. Only he could activate it, otherwise it would lockdown and become unusable. As long as these guys didn't know that they might be all right.  
    "But there was another reason. I've got someone here who's simply dying to meet you. Darling," he called. A door in the wall of the room opened and a tall woman entered. She had incredibly dark blue eyes and long, fiery red hair. Remy felt his draw drop as the woman walked over to the man, who was about twice her age, and kissed him passionately. "I believe you have met Raven before, Mr. LeBeau."  
    "Hello, Remy." Raven's voice was low and sultry and Remy remembered it vividly.  
    Raven Darkholme had been the secondary master programmer on the Gambit Program and one of Remy's most trusted confidantes. To see her here was just, appalling. In some ways it was worse than watching Victor's execution.  
    "Like I said, Raven here," Raven kissed the man again, "was just dying to see you again. To see your face when she told you that your little failsafe you were trusting on had been changed."  
    Remy's heart sank even lower. Ever since Raven had walked in he'd been afraid of something like that. With Raven at his side, this guy could potentially do anything with the Gambit Program.  
    "But I think you two need some time to get reacquainted." Raven stood up as he said this and walked over to Remy. "Let me just warn you Mr. LeBeau, she's quite the little hellcat when the mood comes upon her." Raven grinned as she hoisted a disgusted Remy to his feet and led him out.  
    "And that leaves us to get acquainted, doesn't it Mr. Maximoff?" Pietro looked up and managed a grin. He had been feigning unconsciousness for the best part of ten minutes now, and it was good to be able to move again.  
    "Where's Kitty, you crazy bastard. She has nothing to do with this computer crap…"  
    "Oh I know that," the man interrupted Pietro as he moved from behind his desk and walked towards Pietro. "But first Pietro, I think we should take some time to get to know each other. It's been a long time since you last saw your father…  
  



	7. Unveiling the Plan

**Disclaimer:** Much of the information on drugs was gleaned from Anthony Horowitz's book, Eagle Strike. It's not mine, I don't own it, so please don't sue, okay?  
  
Here we go, chapter 7!! Ishandahalf, you think chapter 6 is bad? You ain't seen nothing yet…  
  
**

Chapter VII

**  
  
    Pietro was speechless. This man couldn't be his father, he couldn't.  
    The man smiled. "It's true Pietro. I am your father."  
    Pietro shook his head. "It's not true," he whispered.  
    "Oh no?" The man's smile widened. "Do you remember your father Pietro?"  
    Pietro shook his head. He had been raised in an orphanage and had never known his parents.  
    "Your mother was Magda Maximoff, a Polish girl who I knew when I was growing up. I got drunk enough one night to spend the night with her just before I left for America. When I returned I was then less than thrilled to find out that I had two illegitimate children. I killed her to stop her ruining my good name and I put you in an orphanage under her name."  
    Pietro shook his head disgustedly. "You killed my mother, just because she made you look bad. Why didn't you kill me as well?"  
    "Why indeed? I toyed with the idea. But then I thought, you knew nothing of your mother. It would have been inhumane to kill you."  
    Pietro almost laughed out loud. Here was a man who was willing to kill a woman for bearing his illegitimate daughter, yet then spare his illegitimate son on the grounds that it would have been inhumane to kill him. "You definitely got a few screws loose, dad." Pietro said weakly.  
    The man laughed. "But where are my manners," he said suddenly. "My name is Erik Lensherr."  
    "CEO of Lensherr Industries?"  
    "Ah, I see you've heard of me. I am indeed founder and CEO of Lensherr Industries."  
    Lensherr industries was a multi-national company that developed hundreds of different things from washing machines to military equipment. Thanks to his company, Erik Lensherr was one of the top ten wealthiest men in the world.  
    "So what do you want with me all of a sudden? Kind of a strange family reunion isn't it?"  
    "I wanted to extend a proposition to you," Erik leaned towards Pietro. "I have acquired Mr. LeBeau's Gambit program for a very special purpose. Lensherr Industries newest product is the BlackViper computer, which the UN has purchased in an incredibly large amount for its new security system. It is protected by a completely unbreakable code, not even the best hacker in the world could break it. Nothing can beat it, except for the Gambit program."  
    "So you stole the program, kidnapping four people in the process, just to protect your program from hacking?"  
    Erik shook his head, almost benignly. "I will not only protect my program, but by tonight I intend to have helped protect the whole world."  
    "Oh, and how do you intend to do that?" Pietro loaded his voice with as much sarcasm as he could.  
    "I see you don't believe me. Well, let me explain." Erik got up and moved to his desk, which he sat behind. "I have sent messages to the ten most powerful crime lords in the world. They will arrive soon to bid on the Gambit program. Whoever owns it will make every other computer defence obsolete."  
    "I see, you'll save the world by giving a crime lord the most advanced computer hacking program, makes sense to me."  
    Erik shook his head, slight impatience breaking through his cool exterior. "Not quite Pietro. While the crime lords are bidding I am going to kill them."  
    Pietro was taken aback by the calmness and ease by which he informed him of his intent to murder ten people in cold blood.  
    "I then intend to use the Gambit program for one last great act, before I destroy it forever. Did you know that drugs are the greatest evil on this planet today? Drugs are causing more unhappiness and destruction than anything anywhere in the world. Drugs kill more people than war or terrorism. Did you know that drugs are the single biggest cause of crime in western society? There are kids out in the street taking heroin and cocaine, and they're stealing to support their habits. But they're not criminals: they're victims. It's the drugs that are to blame."  
    "You don't say?" Pietro feigned disinterest, but he was actually hanging on his father's every word.  
    "I'm not lying All my life I've been fighting drugs. I've done advertisements for the English government. I've spent millions building treatment centres." Pietro had heard of Erik Lensherr's lavishness in his fight against drugs.  
    "But now I've worked out how to end it. And that's where the Gambit program comes in. A world without drugs. Isn't that something to dream about Pietro? Isn't that worth a few sacrifices? Think about it! The end of the drug problem! And I can make it happen!" Lensherr's voice had risen to a fever pitch and Pietro could see an almost maniacal glint in his eye.  
    "How?" Pietro was almost afraid of the answer.  
    "It's easy. Governments won't do anything. The police won't do anything. No one can stop the dealers. So you have to go back to the supplies. You have to think where these drugs come from.  
    "Every year, hundreds and hundreds of tons of heroin come from Afghanistan - especially the provinces of Nangarhar and Helmand. Then there's Burma, with about one hundred thousand hectares of land used to produce opium and heroin. And don't forget Pakistan, manufacturing one hundred and fifty metric tons of opium a year, with refineries all throughout the Khyber region.  
    "There's Columbia, who's the leading supplier and distributor of cocaine, but it also supplies heroin and marijuana. It's business worth three billion dollars a year, Pietro. Eighty tons of cocaine every twelve months. Seven tons of heroin. A lot of it ends up on the streets of American cities. I've seen it. In high schools. A tidal wave of misery and crime.  
    "But that's only a small part of the picture. There are refineries in Albania. Mule trains in Thailand. Coca crops in Peru. Opium plantations in Egypt. Ephedrine, the chemical used in heroin production, is manufactured in China. One of the biggest drugs markets in the world can be found in Tashkent, in Uzbekistan.  
    "These are the principal sources of the world's drug problem. This is where all the trouble starts. These are my targets."  
    "Targets…" Pietro could barely bring himself to say the word.  
    "I am going to use the Gambit program to hack the United States National Security Agency's security systems. It will give me access to two and a half thousand nuclear missiles. These are American missiles on hair-trigger alert - meaning they can be launched at a moment's notice. When I override the NSA's system, it is my intention to fire thirty of these missiles at targets I have carefully chose around the globe."  
    Pietro didn't believe what he was hearing. How could this maniac be serious about firing nuclear missiles at innocent people?  
    "It is almost impossible to envision the devastation thirty one-hundred ton nuclear missiles exploding at the same time will cause. South and Central America, Asia, Africa… almost every continent will suffer. And there will be pain, Pietro, I am well aware of that.  
    "But I will have wiped out the poppy fields. The farms and the factories. The refineries, the trade routes, the markets. There will be no more drug suppliers because there will be no more drug supplies."  
    "M, millions will die," Pietro said, horrified.  
    "But millions more will be saved." Erik sounded like he was giving Pietro something especially great for Christmas. "By tomorrow morning, the world will be saved. It will be the start of a new age. Of an age where all humanity will come together and rejoice. It will be a beautiful age Pietro it will be my age. And that is exactly why I've brought you here. I want you to join me and herald in the new age, father and son."  
  
Thank you for your reviews Ishandahalf, you're too kind. Hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  



	8. Phase One

**Chapter VIII**

  
    Pietro was speechless. Erik was obviously insane; firing thirty nuclear missiles at different continents was pure madness, any sane person would see that. But Pietro didn't doubt his father's words for a second; he fully intended to so exactly what he had outlined to his son.  
    "Well, Pietro?" Pietro looked up at his father who was looking at him expectantly. "Do you want to be a part of a world without drugs, my world? Or do you want to die with the rest of those who are part of the problem?"  
    "That's a hard one, dad," Pietro sneered. "I think I'd have to go with fuck you."  
    Erik's face slipped for a second, but instantly resumed his pleasant face. "Very well. I will give you until tonight to change your mind. If not…" Erik left his threat unfinished. He moved over to his desk and pressed a hidden switch on the top of the desk. "Piotr, come and take Pietro to his room." A few seconds later the Russian re-entered the room and stood to attention. "Take Pietro to room 24601."  
    "Yes, sir." Piotr got Pietro to his feet and was leading him out of the room when Erik spoke again.  
    "Think about it Pietro. A new world begins tonight."  
Pietro didn't answer and Piotr roughly shoved him out of the door. As the Russian marched him down multitudinous winding corridors, Pietro's mind was turning. The loss of crime lords didn't concern him in the slightest, but he had to stop Erik launching the missiles. And he might have found a way. "Piotr?"  
    The Russian was surprised when Pietro uttered his name. He covered his surprise by grunting in reply, fleetingly wondering if Pietro was going to beg for his life.  
    "Do you agree with him?"  
    Piotr was surprised again. "What?"  
    "With what he's planning to do. Kill all those people."  
    Piotr's face hardened and Pietro felt the hand on his shoulder tighten. "Drugs killed my family," he spat, each word dripping with mingled fury and sadness. "I was away from home when they came. Illyana apparently had got involved with the dealers back in Russia, and she didn't have the money to pay them. When she couldn't pay them, they murdered my family, one by one before her very eyes. They did it slowly, making it as painful as possible for them. Then they raped Illyana and murdered her. Left her spread-eagled in the ruins of the farm, her organs lying at her feet." As he spoke Piotr's hand had increased its pressure so that now it was incredibly painful. But Pietro said nothing, enthralled in the Russian's story.  
    "I came home and found her and I promised to avenge her. I killed the dealers who had murdered my family and ever since then I have meted out justice to those beyond the law. Yes," the Russian nodded his head, his fury abating. "I do agree with Erik."  
    Pietro was silenced by Piotr's words. He hadn't expected Piotr's response, and it would make his job harder. Harder, but not impossible. They walked in silence for a few more minutes until they reached a set of steel double-doors. Piotr entered a code on a lock panel that Pietro couldn't see and the doors slid open. Piotr shoved Pietro inside and Pietro glanced around.  
    He was in a long, metallic corridor with several doors on either side of the corridor. Each door had a number on it, and Piotr glanced at each as he marched Pietro down the corridor. Eventually he stopped at a door numbered 24601 and punched in another access code. The door slid open and Piotr shoved Pietro inside, the door sliding shut behind him. Inside, the room was small and dimly lit. There were two small bunks in the corner covered with old mattresses and in one corner there was a tray with two empty bowls on it.  
    Pietro went over to one of the bunks and flopped down on it, wincing as his sore back hit the thin mattress. Things hadn't quite gone as planned. Still he had a long time to devise a strategy to stop his father.  
  
    Erik Lensherr stared down at the helicopter that had just landed on the heli-pad of his chateaux. A squat, fat man in a black suit had just stepped out, accompanied by two tall bald men. Erik had sent Raven to greet the crime bosses while he made sure everything was ready. But right now he had other things on his mind. He had waited for twenty-one years to see his son, and now he would have to kill him. Erik had no qualms about killing, he had done it dozens of times before, but for the first time in his life he felt a twinge of regret. He didn't want to kill his son, but it was necessary, for the good of humankind. A voice from behind him interrupted his thoughts. "Sir, it is finished."  
    Erik turned to face Piotr. He had found the Russian four years ago in New York, after he had murdered a senator that had been heavily involved in drug dealing. Erik had helped Piotr evade capture by the law and ever since then the Russian had served him. He had been the perfect person to aid him in his campaign against drugs and he knew he commanded perfect loyalty from the huge Russian.  
    "Thank you, Piotr." Erik left the window and followed the Russian out of the room. They walked for several minutes until they came to a pair of double doors. They appeared to the eye to be made of expensive wood, but they were actually made of steel and were four inches thick. Erik entered a swept his gaze around, making sure everything was ready. He had installed a long table with rounded corners and a looping perimeter intended to dismiss any subtle hierarchy in seating order. He wanted the crime lords to think he was sincere after all.  
  
    Pietro was almost asleep when the door to his cell slid open. The bright light that flooded in blinded him momentarily and he heard, rather than saw, someone get shoved roughly inside. Then the door slid shut and Pietro's eyes quickly readjusted to the dim light. Pietro studied the new person in his cell and saw that it was Remy. Pietro was momentarily surprised to see that Remy was missing his shirt. "Are you okay?"  
    "Yeah," Remy's voice was pain-filled and his face was haggard. Pietro helped him to lie on his stomach on one of the bunks, blanching when he saw Remy's back - it was covered in welts and bruises.  
    "What happened?"  
    "Raven," he sucked a breath in through his teeth. "I think she broke a couple of ribs."  
    "Have you seen Kitty or Rogue?"  
    Remy shook his head. "Got a plan to get us out of here?"  
    "Yeah. It's a long shot, but I think it'll work."  
  
    Erik sat back in a chair at the table, and collected his thoughts for the coming meeting. It was going to take a lot of willpower to be in the same room as these crime lords, even though they would all be dead within the hour.  
    Raven stood to one side of the door as an honour guard. Each crime lord had brought at least two bodyguards, but Erik had ordered them to be left in a waiting room. He wanted to avoid any shootouts between rival crime lords, and it would make it easier to kill them all. The first man to enter was named Japheth, enormously fat and sweaty-faced. He looked suspicious until his beady eyes slid over Raven when they filled with lust. Erik grinned slightly as the man took the nearest chair to the door to maximise the distance he had to walk.  
    After him came a small man with a hideously scarred face, Nathaniel Essex. After him Sean Cassidy, a tall man with blonde hair and shock-white eyebrows that stood out like electrical discharges from his forehead; he had a square chin bisected by a deep cleft. Following him came the seven other crime lords, each one very pompous and self-important, each one about to die.  
    Erik stood up, silencing the murmurings of the crime lords. "Welcome to my chateaux gentlemen. If you do not know already, my name is Erik Lensherr and I have a proposition for you." Erik went on to describe his plan.  
  
    Remy had been asleep for about an hour and a half when the door slid open again. Pietro shielded his eyes with his hands as Piotr stepped through the door. "Get up." The Russian sounded tense and on edge. Pietro got to his feet, as did Remy who had just woken.  
    "Where are we going?" Pietro asked. Piotr didn't answer, but merely led them out.  
  
    "And that, gentlemen, is my proposal." Erik sat down amidst a stunned silence. That silence faded soon as the crime lords began to talk excitedly, many shouting out ludicrously high bids in an attempt to out do the others. Erik allowed this to go on for five minutes until he stood up again. "Gentlemen, there is one other thing. He reached into the hip pocket of his suit and pulled out a translucent breathmask, one of Lensherr Industries newer inventions, and placed it over his mouth and nose. He activated the mask with a fingertip, and it sealed itself to her face, grafting its edges to her skin cells. At the door, Raven copied her, putting on her own mask. Erik reached under the table and pressed a button, triggering the nerve-gas systems he had had installed. The air vents made hissing sounds, like serpents expelling venomous breath into the room.  
    The crime lords looked around wildly at the treachery. Japheth attempted to haul his bloated form to his feet. Erik presumed he would die of a heart attack if the nerve gas didn't get him first.  
    Nathaniel and four others didn't waste time trying to vent their rage but rushed to the door, trying to open it. But Erik knew that it was stupid to try that, only he could open it and the nerve gas required only seconds to complete its fatal action.  
    Sean rose from his seat with murder in his eyes. He lurched to his feet and on his long, bony legs he staggered towards him. His face grew splotchy with rose-coloured eruptions of tiny blood vessels in his cheeks and eyes. He gasped.  
    The crime lords were falling left and right now, slumping atop one another. Some choked, clutching their throats; others vomited. Two sprawled across the table. Most had managed to make it to the floor.  
    Sean kept coming, one plodding step at a time, as if his limbs were sheathed in rapidly hardening concrete. His eyes were a deep red, filled with blood from the inside as he moved forwards, and toppled at Erik's feet.  
    Raven watched the carnage in the room with undisguised glee. Fat Japheth continued to wheeze and cough. Erik was surprised to see that the obese crime lord was the last to die.  
A few moments later Erik and Raven stood like statues, the only two survivors, surveying the massacre of the crime lords. Raven grinned at Erik. "It's done," she whispered.  
    Erik nodded, a smile on his face too. "Now, it is time for phase two."  
  
    Upwards of twenty bodyguards sat in the waiting room, relaxing while their employers did business with Erik Lensherr. They were woefully unprepared for when two doors were kicked open and Piotr led a dozen men into the room, each one armed with a sub-machine gun. Piotr and his men opened fire and the room turned into a bloodbath. After two minutes Piotr held his hand up and the men stopped firing. Men walked forward to check for survivors and remove bodies, whilst Piotr escorted Remy and Pietro up to the observation deck. The room was filled with computer screens and it was here that Erik intended to hack into the NSA's system.  
    When they arrived Erik and Raven were waiting for them. Erik smiled at them as they entered. "Have a seat won't you." He gestured at two seats by the opposite wall, which they sat in. Piotr took up his position to the right of Pietro, his hand on his weapon. "Now, watch as a new age begins," Erik said, turning and nodding at Raven, who began to type furiously on a computer.  
  
Ishandahalf, Storm-Pietro I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 7 and I hope you've enjoyed this one just as much^^. 


	9. Phase Two

**Chapter IX**

  
  
    As Erik focused all his attention on Raven and the computer screens, Pietro turned to Piotr. "Piotr!" he whispered, but the Russian ignored him. "Don't let him do this! Your sister has been avenged. Do you want millions of innocent people added to her name on the list of people that have died because of drugs?" As he spoke he wriggled his arms trying to loosen the knife that was in the sheath attached to his wrist. Piotr looked increasingly uncomfortable as Pietro spoke and Pietro could tell he had touched a nerve. "Listen Piotr. Help us to stop Erik. We could use a guy like you in Excalibur. We…"  
    "Pietro if you have any last words then don't you think we should all hear them?"  
    "If you stop now Erik then you might actually get out of here alive."  
    Erik laughed. "Brave words son, but I'm afraid you are in no position to back them up." He turned his attention back to the monitors and Pietro resumed his wriggling. He could feel the knife almost in his hand. He turned back to Piotr.  
    "Piotr listen to your heart. Illyana wouldn't have wanted this." Pietro could see the two sides of Piotr warring. One side knew that the murder of millions of innocents was something Illyana would never have been able to bear. On the other hand this way would kill the people who had murdered Illyana and stop anyone else dying because of drugs. Eventually he turned to Pietro and nodded once. Pietro grinned. All of a sudden things weren't looking so bad.  
    Raven turned to Erik. "Everything's ready, love. With the push of a button, the missiles will fire."  
    "Excellent." Erik turned to face Pietro and Remy. "This is your last chance son. Join me and we will reforge the world, together."  
    Pietro laughed. "Your plan's failed dad." With a sudden flick of his wrist he threw the knife into Raven's chest. Erik dropped to his knees by Raven and then turned to Piotr. "Kill them both!"  
    "No!"  
    Erik was so stunned he was momentarily speechless. "What?"  
    "This is madness Erik. I will not help in the murder of innocents."  
    "So be it." Erik pulled a gun from inside his jacket and fired. Piotr crumpled to the floor, blood pouring from a wound in his chest. Erik then lunged for the button that would fire the missiles but Pietro tackled him to the floor.  
    "It's over dad," Pietro spat but Erik merely grinned.  
    "I wouldn't be so sure." The door opened behind them and half a dozen guards ran in. Pietro let go of Erik and leapt to one side to avoid being cut down by the guards' machine guns. "Kill them both!" Erik shouted.  
    Pietro grabbed at the gun in Raven's hip holster, levelled it at the nearest guard and fired. The man was dead before he hit the floor. The other five opened fire again and Pietro ducked behind a control panel. After a few seconds he realised that the guards had stopped firing. They must have run out of bullets. Making the most of his opportunity Pietro leapt up, firing as he did so. His first two bullets took out another two guards, his third knocked one to the floor, a gaping hole in his leg, and the last two blew away the remaining guards. Pietro dropped the empty gun and looked around. Erik had disappeared amidst all the confusion. Cursing, Pietro ran over to Remy who was barely conscious. "Can you walk?"  
    "Yeah." Pietro helped Remy to his feet.  
    "Come on." Pietro grabbed Piotr's gun as they left.  
    "Where are we going?" Remy sounded almost delirious.  
    "We've got to find Rogue and Kitty and get out of here."  
  
    Erik opened the secret door that led to his study and breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to escape into his secret tunnel amidst all the confusion. How could things have gone so badly wrong? Still, all was not lost. He pressed a button on his desk and the doors to his study opened. X23 strode into the room. "X23, find the intruders and kill them, immediately!" X23 bowed her head to him and then ran out of the room.  
    Yes, all was not lost. But he had to get away from here. If, and although it was unlikely Erik was a very careful man, if X23 failed to kill Pietro, his son would be hunting for him. Best that he leave no evidence as to what he had been doing here. He opened a panel on his desk to reveal a row of buttons. He pressed them in a certain order and a mechanised voice echoed throughout the châteaux. "Self-destruct has been activated. Self-destruct will occur in ten minutes." Unbeknownst to everyone except for Raven, Erik had gathered a large amount of explosives under his châteaux that he could detonate if things got out of control. Like now for instance.  
    Erik grabbed his briefcase, picked up a gun and looked around one last time. This place had been like a home to him for almost fifteen years. Still, it would not be too hard to find a new base. Especially not with Pietro out of the way.  
  
    Pietro and Remy were one floor above the cellblocks when they heard the announcement. "Self-destruct will occur in ten minutes." Pietro looked at Remy.  
    "Can you go any faster?"  
Remy gritted his teeth and nodded. They were about to go down the stairs to the floor below when a figure barred their path. It was X23. Pietro brought his gun up but X23 had already leapt into the air and as Pietro tried to draw a bead on her she landed right in front of him. He snapped off a shot but unbelievably X23 dodged the bullet. She launched herself forwards in a flying kick that drove all the breath out of Pietro. Gasping he dropped to his knees, trying desperately to draw in a breath. X23 drew her two knives and raised them above her head. Pietro expected death to come at any second but instead X23 looked up and gasped. "You!" her voice was harsh and grating and as she spoke Pietro turned to see what had stopped her.  
    At the end of the corridor was a man that Pietro recognised. Short, with dark hair, wearing a ninja outfit and holding a katana in his hands. It was the Wolverine.  
    As the two faced each other off, Remy helped Pietro to his feet and they hurried down the stairs to the cellblocks. "Who was that guy?" Remy asked as they headed for the cells.  
    "Wolverine. An assassin. Guess they've met before." As they passed a monitoring room full of monitors, Pietro saw something that caught his attention. It was Erik hurrying out to the landing field. "You get the women and meet me outside." Before Remy had time to argue Pietro had sprinted off.  
  
    X23 and Wolverine faced each other in the corridor. X23 was the first to break the silence. "So they sent you after me. I should have known."  
    "You knew someone would catch you sooner or later."  
    "It makes little difference. My fighting ability has vastly improved since our last fight. You cannot hope to win."  
    "We shall see." With that the two leapt at each other. They moved faster than the human eye could follow, both masters of their own fighting style. After almost a minute of blocking and lunging they broke apart, both of them sweating and breathing heavily. "Not bad," X23 said before launching herself back at Wolverine.  
  
    Erik was at the door leading to the landing field when a sudden thought struck him. He didn't have the Gambit Program! Dropping his briefcase he turned and ran back to the elevator. After shooting several of his lackeys that got in his way he made his way to the control room, where he began frantically searching for the program.     "Looking for something?"  
    Erik whirled around to come face-to-face with Pietro, the Gambit Program in his hand.  
  
    Remy hurried into the cellblock. He frantically began searching cells when a voice behind him made him freeze.  
    "Hello Remy."  
    He turned and saw Raven standing in the doorway, her chest covered in blood and the bloodstained knife clutched in her right hand. She moved forward on shaking legs, grinning maniacally. "I'm going to enjoy killing you." She lunged at him.  
    Remy tried to dodge, but the beating he had taken earlier slowed his reflexes. He expected to feel the knife slash into him, but at the last second someone smashed into Raven's side sending her crashing to the floor. The person turned to face him and he was shocked to see it was Rogue. "Hey Remy. What kept you?"  
    Raven lunged at Rogue who sidestepped easily and kicked Raven hard in the ribs. Raven clutched at her ribs, then launched herself at Rogue in a flying kick that knocked Rogue to the floor but also caused Raven to lose her grip on the knife, which went skidding across the floor. Raven grasped Rogue's throat with her hands and began throttling her, her injury-induced strength almost causing Rogue to black out. Rogue tried to fight back but it was no is no good. She prepared herself to meet her maker but the pressure on her neck suddenly vanished. Looking up she could make out Raven's face frozen in a mask of surprise. She could also see the knife sticking out of her throat. She shoved Raven off her and Remy helped her up. Remy looked pale and shaken, although slightly exuberant at having killed Raven. The two looked at each other for a couple of seconds and then Remy said, "shouldn't we free Kitty."  
    "Right."  
  
    Wolverine was hurting. He could feel and he knew X23 could see it. This time he was barely able to bring his katana up to block her knife and her kick caught him totally off guard, throwing him into the wall. "Come on Wolverine, you can do better than that!" X23 sneered. Wolverine threw himself aside as she attempted to crush his windpipe and then lunged with his katana. X23 easily knocked it to one side and stabbed Wolverine in the stomach with one of her knives. Wolverine let out a gasp of pain and his eyes bulged wide. X23 moved close to him, preparing to deliver the deathblow. "You're too old for this kind of mission Wolverine. I'm far superior to you in every way." She was about to plunge her other knife into his heart when she felt something knick her neck. She clapped a hand to her neck and realised at once that a dart of some kind had hit her. Probably poisoned. She felt her vision dimming and she wavered where she stood. Her last thought was the wish that two years ago she had not murdered Wolverine's entire family.  
  
    Erik managed a smile as he saw the gun levelled at him in Pietro's hand. "Come now Pietro, you couldn't shoot your own father."  
    "Maybe, maybe not. Only one way to find out." Pietro raised the gun.  
    "Shoot me then. There's no one stopping you."  
    Pietro's index finger tightened, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not in cold blood. He lowered the gun. "Get out of here!" he spat.  
    "Why would you want to let me go?"  
    "You won't be too hard to find. And next time, I won't hesitate to pull the trigger." Pietro turned to leave the room. He'd always had a kind of sixth sense; that was what had kept him alive for so long as an assassin and Excalibur agent and it was this that told him to throw himself to one side now. As it was the bullet still hit him, only in the leg instead of the back of the chest. Pietro let out a groan of agony and clutched his right leg, which had begun to bleed. Erik laughed again, mockingly.  
    "I on the other hand possess none of your strange reluctance to kill members of my own family." He levelled the gun at Pietro's head. "Goodbye son."  
    He pulled the trigger.  
  
Ishandahalf and Storm-Pietro I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 8 and I hope chapter 9 was just as good. SO sorry for the delay, but chapter 10 should be up much sooner. Hope you enjoyed...  
  



	10. Escape

**Chapter X**

  
  
    The hollow clack of the gun's empty chamber echoed throughout the control room. Pietro, who had been expecting death was as stunned as Erik was by the gun's emptiness. Erik managed to recover his wits quickly and even gave a small smile. He reached into his jacket for a new clip, but Pietro had already brought his own gun up and fired.  
    The sound of a shot roared in the empty control room. Father and son stared into each other's eyes and then Erik slumped to the floor, his empty pistol slipping from his nerveless grasp. Pietro pulled himself to his feet and walked over to Erik, who's breathing was shallow and irregular. Even when he was seconds from death Erik managed a smile, which chilled Pietro to his soul. "Well done Pietro," Erik whispered. "I didn't think you had it in you." A thin trickle of blood slid down his chin. "You really are my son."  
    "I am not your son," Pietro said flatly.  
    Erik laughed, a horrible gurgling sound that told Pietro his father's lungs were already filling up with fluid. "Still, you have to get out of here before the whole place comes down around you." Erik shuddered slightly. "I may still have some measure of revenge," he murmured, before shuddering again and then finally becoming still.  
    Pietro turned his back on his father's corpse and limped away, leaving his father's corpse amidst the ruins of the room where he had attempted to murder millions of people.  
  
    The man known as the Wolverine, most feared of all assassins, was in a world of pain. He had managed to drag himself from the châteaux all the way to the landing field where he collapsed to the floor. He clutched at his stomach where X23 had plunged her knife into him. Anyone else would have succumbed to the pain by now but Wolverine was not 'anyone'. He managed to pull a small hypodermic needle from his belt and plunged it into his stomach. Instantly the pain in his stomach subsided. He was just lucky that X23 hadn't utilised poison.  
    He reached into his pocket and pulled a small device out of it. He punched a key code into it and then sagged back against the floor. "Come on Chuck…"  
  
    Remy and Rogue quickly found Kitty's cell and unlocked it. Kitty was shocked to see them but she didn't pause to ask questions. They only had three minutes to get out before the châteaux would self-destruct. They hurried past Raven's corpse and down the hall until they came to a junction. Here Remy came to an abrupt halt. "Do either of you know which way we should go now?"  
    Rogue shrugged and Kitty shook her head. Remy sighed. "I guess we'll just have to guess." He looked at both ways in the junction. One way was to carry on straight down the corridor they were already on, whilst the other was to turn right up a flight of stairs. After a few mere seconds he nodded. "We'll go right."  
    After several dozen steps they came to another corridor, devoid of people as before. They advanced into the corridor and cautiously looked around. They were rewarded for their observations when Kitty found a lift that said 'LANDING FIELD' next to a button. They all clambered into the lift and hit the button. After three seconds the lift doors closed and lift smoothly began its upward journey.  
  
    Pietro limped up a flight of stairs, unsure as to how to get out of the châteaux. For the first time he felt the icy claw of terror grip him. _What if Kitty couldn't find a way out?_ He couldn't bare the thought of her buried under tons of rubble it the châteaux self-destructed. Infused with a new purpose Pietro increased his speed as fast as his injured leg would allow him. He continued to climb a long flight of stairs knowing that he needed to find Kitty before this place came down on top of them.  
    Unfortunately he was heading in completely the wrong direction.  
  
    The lift came to a smooth stop and the doors opened. Remy, Rogue and Kitty tumbled out and looked around. They were in a small room and through the window they could see the landing field.  
    _We made it!_ Remy could almost have cried in relief. _Despite everything, we made it!_  
    The three hurried outside and were suddenly seized in a maelstrom of activity. Men ran in each and every direction, each one trying to get away from the châteaux. Apparently Erik hadn't thought it necessary to train his men in an evacuation drill, with the result that men were just leaping onto any vehicle they could find, often fighting several others to get on it, and those who could not get a vehicle merely ran as fast as they humanly could.  
    Rogue ran over to an open topped four-wheel drive, whose engine was stalling and the driver was desperately trying to coax it to life. Rogue grabbed the driver and pulled him out of his seat and took his place. "Come on!" she shouted to the other two, who joined her swiftly. Rogue tried to start the engine, but it stalled again. "Come on!" she swore at the jeep, kicked the floor and suddenly the engine started. "Yes!" was about to slam her foot on the accelerator when Kitty suddenly stopped her. "What about Pietro?" Kitty asked, her face tight with anxiety.  
    Rogue chewed her bottom lip. She didn't like to say it, but… "Kitty, Pietro's got less than a minute to get out of there. The odds of that happening are…"  
    "Never quote me the odds!" Kitty cut her off. "We have to go back for him!"  
    "Kitty the only thing we do by returning to the châteaux is put ourselves in danger." Remy spoke up from the other side of Kitty. "There's nothing you or I can do about Pietro now."  
  
    Pietro waited nervously as the lift slid to halt. He had suddenly realised that he was going the wrong way and, despite the pain in his leg, had run to the nearest lift. He had punched in 'LANDING FIELD' and the he hoped that the lift had got him here quickly enough. Well at least I won't know if it hasn't.  
    Pietro hurried out of the lift and limped across to the door that led to the Landing Field. Outside, he thought he could glimpse Kitty, Remy and Rogue and hope surged through his sould.  
    "Warning!" the mechanical voice rang out and Pietro knew what was coming. "Self-destruct in three, two, one, zero!"  
  
    "No!" Kitty said and jumped down from the jeep. Remy shook his head and followed her but neither had gone more than half a dozen paces when a huge explosion knocked them both off their feet. They were stunned slightly but both regained their feet in time to see the châteaux explode as if something huge was smashing the walls out from the inside. Huge chunks of masonry smashed to the ground around them and they quickly retreated to the jeep where Rogue slammed her foot on the accelerator. The jeep sped twenty metres away and then they turned to watch as dust from the châteaux's explosion billowed out, polluting the clear Swiss air. Despite their watering eyes and their itching throats, only one thought was on their minds. Pietro had still been inside when the châteaux had exploded.  
  
Hope you like Chapter 10 Ishandahalf. Thanks for the review for Chapter 9 and 11 should be up soon. Meanwhile, keep the reviews coming! 


	11. Rescue

**Chapter XI**

  
  
    Rogue and Remy were too stunned to do anything when Kitty leapt from the jeep and ran towards the remains of the châteaux. They soon recovered and leapt out of the jeep after her. Kitty was attempting to shift a huge chunk of masonry to no avail and as Rogue and Remy approached her she broke down, beating the masonry with her fists as she sobbed. Rogue put a comforting arm around her and as she tried to calm her down Remy turned to look down the landing strip.  
    Erik's minions had all but vanished, leaving the landing field deserted apart from the two women and him. Realising that there was nothing he could do to help he disconsolately turned to look at the rubble that lay where the châteaux once stood and said a final goodbye to Pietro.  
  
    Pietro's head felt as though it had been split open. He had a terrible headache and when he finally forced one eyelid open - the other was bruised shut - he thought for one horrible moment that he had gone blind. Slowly his eye accustomed to the near total darkness and he realised that he could see very thin trickles of light coming from a long way above. At least he wasn't blind.  
    His next attempt was to move. He tried to bring his right arm up off the floor and found that it was twisted at a very unusual angle beneath him. He knew it was broken, he just wasn't sure where. His left arm was in slightly better shape than his right, it was bruised but he could move it. However, when he attempted to prop himself up a pain so intense that it threatened to cause him to black out flared in his ribs. He dropped onto his back again, the pain in his chest too much to bear. That meant at least a couple of broken ribs to add to his list, maybe even an internal injury. His investigation of his legs added a couple more broken bones to his list.  
    His left leg was definitely broken, it was twisted at an almost one hundred and eighty degree angle beneath him. His right leg might have been broken, he wasn't sure. It sure felt like it was though.  
  
    Rogue and Remy had managed to get the still sobbing Kitty back into the jeep and she was now sitting in the back seat, one of Rogue's arms still comfortingly wrapped around her. Remy was sitting in the driver's seat when Rogue voiced the question he had been thinking about for some time. "How are we gonna get out of here?"  
    Remy turned to face her, and even Kitty's sobs quietened. "I'm not sure. Have either of you got a phone, or anything that we can use to contact the outside world with?" Both of the women shook their heads. "Great!" Remy slumped in his seat dejectedly.  
    "Well, what are we going to do?" Rogue pressed him.  
    "What can we do? Make smoke signals!" Remy snapped and then instantly regretted it. It wasn't Rogue's fault that they were stranded here.  
    "If we have to, yes!" Rogue snapped back and then the jeep lapsed into a tense silence, both Rogue and Remy seething.  
  
    Wolverine grinned slightly as he watched the antics of Rogue and Remy. Even when they were potentially about to die from exposure they were still arguing over the most trivial matters. He glanced up at the sky. Chuck better hurry up, if they were caught outside overnight then all that would be left by morning would be their frozen corpses.  
  
    Pietro wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, but he was sure that he had managed to doze off for a while because he'd thought that he'd been back in his apartment in London with Kitty and then he'd woken to the blinding pain of his current situation.  
Briefly he wondered where he was. He surmised that when the building had collapsed he must have fallen down into an underground basement and pure luck had stopped him from being crushed by hundreds of tonnes of rubble. Still, it wouldn't make much difference if he couldn't get out, because then he'd bleed to death or suffocate.  
    He managed a grim smile as he remembered his father's last words. 'Still, you have to get out of here before the whole place comes down around you. I may still have some measure of revenge'. He's certainly managed to get his revenge on me, Pietro thought with a grimly ironic smile as he remembered how cocky he had been and how certain that he would escape this place easily before it exploded.  
  
    Remy was starting to get worried. Darkness was rapidly approaching and all he was wearing was a thin shirt, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. He and Rogue had sat in stony silence for several hours, neither willing to admit that they'd been wrong and now Remy knew that he had to say something to her.  
    He swivelled around in his seat. "Listen Rogue,"  
    "Shh!" she cut him off and gestured for him and Kitty to listen. At first Remy couldn't hear anything, but eventually a faint humming noise became apparent.  
    "What is it?" Remy asked. Rogue shrugged.  
    "Whatever it is, it's getting louder," Kitty pointed out. She was right, soon the noise thundered around them and Kitty suddenly pointed excitedly upwards. "Look!"  
    Hovering above them was a large, twin-bladed helicopter. The helicopter swiftly descended and as soon as it touched the ground several people leapt from it and ran towards them. Kitty was the first to recognise them. "Lance!" she jumped out of the car and hurled herself at the nearest man, who responded by sweeping her off her feet and hugging her fiercely.  
    "I'm so glad to see you're safe." Remy recognised the man, it was Lance Alvers one of Pietro's fellow Excalibur agents. Behind him were several Excalibur operatives he didn't recognise, and a man in a wheelchair who Remy instantly recognised as Charles Xavier.  
    "Mr LeBeau, you and your fiancé should really get into the helicopter. The temperature is rapidly dropping and you are hardly dressed for cold weather." Lance indicated two Excalibur operatives to help them.  
    "Wait," Remy grabbed Lance's shoulder. "Pietro's buried under there!" he gestured towards the rubble.  
    "We know," Lance turned away from Remy and began directing men to set up a piece of equipment Remy didn't recognise.  
    "How do you know?" Remy tried to catch at Lance's shoulder again, but the Excalibur agent assigned to him placed a firm but gentle hand on his should and led him over to the helicopter.  
  
    Pietro was fading in and out of consciousness when he was blinded for the second time. This time however, the problem was not lack of light, the problem was too much of it. The masonry above him was suddenly lifted away and the dim twilight flooded in to the cellar. To Pietro's sensitive eye however, even that small amount of light was far too strong and he clamped his eye shut.  
    "Pietro! Pietro!"  
    Pietro managed to force his eye open a tiny fraction and squinted upwards. Silhouetted against the sky were several people and Pietro recognised their voices. "Lance!" he croaked as loud as his parched throat would allow.  
  
The story nears its conclusion, but will it be a happy one? Thank you for your review ishandahalf and I hope you liked chapter 11! 


	12. Wedding Bells

**Chapter XII**

  
  
    It took them an hour to shift the fallen masonry and get Pietro out of the cellar. Remy watched them winching Pietro out of the cellar and winced. Even in the minimal light afforded by the lights they had set up, Pietro's wounds were obvious enough. Remy was amazed that Pietro had survived the collapse of the châteaux and even more amazed that he had survived his injuries for as long as he had.  
    Two Excalibur operatives carried Pietro over to the helicopter with Lance on one side and a massive man who looked like he could have been a professional football player. Xavier followed behind them talking to an agent that Remy didn't recognise. The agent seemed to be in some pain, his movements were quite slow and he clutched a hand to his stomach as he walked. As they neared the helicopter the agent nodded and headed off down to the cockpit. Xavier himself wheeled up the ramp into the body of the helicopter and came to a stop next to Remy. "I'm sorry that we took so long to get here Mr LeBeau."  
    "Don't worry about it!" Remy had to shout to make himself heard over the sound of the engines starting up. "I'm just glad you showed up."  
    "You should try and get some sleep Mr LeBeau, you've had a very taxing time. We'll be boarding a plane for England in Geneva, but it's quite a long way there."  
    "I'm all right, I doubt I'll be able to sleep anyway."  
    Xavier wheeled off to talk to Rogue who was sitting in front of Remy. Despite his words, Remy soon found himself drifting off into a deep sleep.  
  
    When Xavier had talked to Rogue and Pietro he went to the cockpit. There Wolverine had injected himself with another, stronger painkiller and was now leaning against the wall, barely conscious. Xavier moved very close to him so that the pilot couldn't overhear their conversation. "How are you feeling, Logan?"  
    "I've been better," Wolverine growled. He didn't like people using his name, it brought back too many painful memories.  
    "X23?"  
    "I got the bitch. She was buried under that châteaux."  
    "You did well today Logan," Xavier put a tentative hand on Logan's shoulder, but he roughly shrugged it off. "Very well. We couldn't have asked more from you. I think that the Government might be willing to forgive you your past crimes. There might even be a place for you in…"  
    "Save it Chuck." Wolverine closed his eyes and leaned against the wall and was unconscious in seconds.  
    Xavier sighed. He knew that Logan wouldn't have agreed to join Excalibur, but he had to try.  
  
    By the time they reached Geneva Remy, Rogue, Kitty and Pietro were all asleep. The Excalibur agents quickly transferred them without waking them up. Xavier was about to board the plane, when he spotted Wolverine stalking away. "I'll be back in a minute Lance."     "Yes, sir." Xavier wheeled towards Wolverine.  
    "Logan!" Wolverine stopped and turned around. "Leaving so soon?"  
    "Yeah, I'm not one for your fancy celebrations. Besides, not everyone back home will be as happy to see me as you are."  
    "Logan, if you ever change your mind."  
    "Don't count on it Chuck." The two stared at each other for several seconds.  
    "Well, Logan, I wish you a speedy recovery and try to stay out of trouble."  
    "Does that really sound like me?" Logan shook his head. "See you round Charles."  
    Xavier extended his hand and Logan took it after a couple of seconds deliberation. The two men shook hands and then Logan turned and walked off into the darkness.  
  
    Remy woke up hours later. He rubbed his eyes several times before sitting up. He was in a sparse white room with three other beds, containing Rogue, Kitty and Pietro. A long bench of medical equipment ran along the opposite wall and as he was looking around, the agent who looked like a football player entered the room. "Ah, you're awake." The man bent over the medical bench, picking up assorted instruments.  
    "Where am I?"  
    "You're in Excalibur headquarters, Mr LeBeau." The man turned around and walked over to Remy. "I'm Dr Hank McCoy. I'm just going to give you a quick examination." Remy nodded absently, his mind still adjusting to where he was. Hank gave him a quick look over: checked his heartbeat, looked in his eye, looked down his throat and checked his blood pressure. "Well Mr LeBeau, you seem to have some bad bruising around your ribs, but apart from that you seem to be in good physical health."  
    Remy touched his ribs gingerly. In all the excitement he had practically forgotten about the pain. "Is there anything you can do for them?"  
    "Not really. Just rest them and they should heal over time." Remy nodded. "Ah, Ms Pryde awakes." Hank moved over to Kitty's bed, where she had just sat up and began his examination of her. Remy was about to ask a question when the door opened again and Xavier entered.  
    "Good morning Mr LeBeau. How are you feeling?"  
    "A lot better thank you, Mr Xavier."  
    "Good. And Ms Pryde, how are you feeling?"  
    "Tired, but I'm just happy that Pietro is alive."  
    "Excellent. Now, Mr LeBeau would you come with me for debriefing?" Remy nodded and got up. "Hank, send Kitty and Rogue along when they're ready, would you?"  
    "Yes, sir."  
  
    It took Pietro a week to recover enough to be debriefed. He opened the door to Xavier's study and sat opposite his boss, vividly remembering the time he had walked in at the start of this mission, and how much had changed since that time. "How are you feeling, Pietro?"     "Good, thank you sir."  
    "Still walking with a slight limp I see."  
    "Yes, sir. Dr McCoy doesn't think I'll ever be able to walk properly again, but it's no real hindrance," he added quickly. "I can still operate at active service standard."  
    Xavier laughed. "Don't worry Pietro, I wasn't thinking of taking you off the active duty roster. Now," he reached over and pulled a file out of a drawer, "I've had three separate civilian accounts as to what happened in the châteaux. I want the report of an Excalibur operative."  
    "Yes, sir." Pietro proceeded to report the events that had occurred while they had been in his father's châteaux to Xavier, who was having the debriefing recorded. Occasionally Xavier made a note, but on the whole he sat patiently and listened. When Pietro's report ended he leant back in his chair and steepled his fingers.  
    "Thank you for that Pietro, it was most informative. Do you still have the Gambit program?"  
    "No sir, it must have been buried in the rubble. The program only exists in Remy's, I mean Mr LeBeau's brain."  
    "I see. Well done Pietro, you have acted as I would have expected any Excalibur agent to do, and you have averted a worldwide disaster. I wouldn't be surprised if you get on the New Year's honours list for this." Pietro smiled slightly. "Thank you Pietro, that will be all."  
    "Thank you, sir." Pietro stood up and left the study. He headed straight down to the lab, where Hank was working on some gadget of his. When Pietro got there, Hank grinned and tossed him a beer.     "Told you I'd have a cold beer waiting."  
    "Thanks Hank." Pietro sat opposite his friend and they drank their beers in silence for several minutes.  
     "So what about you and Kitty?" Hank said after a while.     "I'm going to give her this," Pietro said taking a box out of his pocket and opening it. Hank let out a whistle of appreciation. Inside was a silver ring, studded with diamonds.  
    "How are you going to take to married life?"  
    "It'll be an adjustment certainly, but I'll manage." Pietro grinned and downed the rest of his beer.  
  
    "Will you, Remy LeBeau, take Marie Adler to be your lawfully wedded wife, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, according to God's holy ordinance?"  
    "I will." Remy smiled at Rogue, who smiled back.  
    "And will you, Marie Adler, take Remy LeBeau to be your lawfully wedded wife, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, according to God's holy ordinance?"  
    "Ah will." They let go of each other's hands and Remy stepped back to take the ring from Pietro, who stood behind him. Remy took the ring and placed it on the book that the minister was holding.  
    "This ring shall be token of this covenant between you, as the ancient and accepted symbol of marriage, and as witness of the love in which you have declared yourselves to be wedded one with the other; according to God's holy ordinance, and the law of this land. May she who wears it keep true faith unto her husband, and likewise her husband be faithful unto her, to live together in this holy bond." The minister gave the ring to Remy, who put it on Rogue's hand, then repeated after the minister: "With this ring I thee wed, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."  
    As the newly wedded couple walked out of the church, Pietro and Kitty joined hands, Kitty's engagement ring sparkling in the light, and followed them out. As the guests followed them out, Scott walked over to Jean. "Uh, listen Jean, I've got something to tell you."  
    "Go on."  
    "Jean, I," Scott took a deep breath, "Jean, I love you."  
    Jean's face broke into a grin and she wrapped her arms around Scott. "I thought you'd never say that."  
    "You mean you feel the same way?"  
    "Of course I do. Now come on, we don't want to be late to the reception."  
  
    The reception lasted long into the night and sometime before midnight Pietro and Kitty took a break from dancing and walked out onto the balcony of the hotel where the reception was being held. "You look really beautiful in the moonlight, you know." Pietro whispered in Kitty's ear. Kitty responded by kissing him passionately on the lips.  
    "When we get married Pietro," Kitty said after they broke the kiss off, "we need to have a ceremony just like this."  
    "We'll have whatever ceremony you want," Pietro folded his arms around Kitty and together they stood on the balcony, staring up at the stars. Pietro wished that he could spend every waking minute with Kitty but he knew that while people, like his father, existed he could not. Still he could spend some time with Kitty and he meant to treasure it forever…  
  
And that's a wrap, folks. Ishandahalf, thank you for your all your reviews, they've kept me going from day one. hjh-31, I'm so glad you like the story, I hope the final chapter is up to standard. coldqueen, thank you for your review, and I hope you enjoy the finished story.  
Would a sequel be met with enthusiasm, or should I settle with just this story? Let me know what you think, and I hope you have enjoyed the story that has been LICENCE TO KILL. 


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